Katekyo Hitman Reborn! The Vargas Famiglia Arc
by brouhahas
Summary: The Vargas famiglia is pulled into a tournament and seek the help of the Vongola famiglia. What started as a simple favor turns into something more as alliances shift and the line between friend and foe is blurred. A crossover between Hetalia and Katekyo Hitman Reborn plus some other characters. Warning: OC-centric, LovinoxOC, AU


**Hey! This is going to be a Hetalia and KHR crossover with some other characters mixed in as well. It'll be AU, meaning the Vongola have not gone into the future and the Hetalia characters are not nations. A bit of a warning for you guys, there will be an OC and the story will be told in her perspective most of the time. Please tell me if you think she's a mary-sue and I'll try my best to make her a likeable/believable character. Honestly, I was afraid that I would screw up so I used a generator to pick out her name and common interests. Yeah... Your feedback would be appreciated! Oh and another thing, there will be use of other languages and I'll be honest, I'm not fluent in them so I will be using Google translate. I'm sorry if I offend anyone by getting cultural facts and language wrong, please correct me and I'll fix it.**

**Well, enjoy and don't forget to review!**

* * *

The harsh clacks of fingernails hitting keys echoed around the tiny room, overhead the light flickered a little—that or it was just my eyes. I was tired. So god damn tired. No amount of coffee would be enough and my head would unintentionally dip down, almost slamming onto the desk before I would catch myself and continue typing away. What did I do to deserve this? I think I had led a relatively sin free life—well, besides the fact that I was a part of the mafia, but our famiglia wasn't very strong so we never did anything too terrible (or great) in my opinion. Not like the Vongolas.

Speaking of which, I had a letter I needed to perfect.

Sighing, I deleted what I had written. _Lovino, that jerk! Sticking me with the hard work, _I thought vehemently. My angry expression twisted to one of despair. _I don't have any clue on how to address the Vongola. Should I be formal? Or should I sound casual, like our whole famiglia's life doesn't depend on their answer? I heard their new boss is young so maybe he'd… oh I don't know what to do! _I slumped down on my chair feeling defeated. I had been at this for hours and I still couldn't spew out the right words. The pressure of failing my famiglia was so great that I didn't want to give up, but I just didn't know how you would go about asking a world class mafia famiglia for help when your own famiglia was so meek in comparison.

Ever since Lovino's grandfather died, which was around the time I was nine, the Vargas famiglia just wasn't the same any more. It was clear that the preceding boss, Lovino's father, was not cut from the same cloth as Grandpa Rome (The dead boss was really friendly and insisted that everyone from the famiglia call him that). Lovino's father wasn't as strong as Grandpa Rome or as charismatic and the Vargas famiglia was falling apart. Sometimes when it was late at night I would hear my parents speak to each other in hushed tones, worrying about a possible coup d'état.

That's how Lovino's father died—from a coup d'état eight years later. Fortunately Lovino and his younger brother, Feliciano, didn't perish during the fights, my parents who were good friends with Grandpa Rome made sure of it. However, after the fighting ended, the famiglia was in an even bigger shamble. Like his father, Lovino had no talent and Feliciano didn't want any part of mafia affairs. They were even weaker and lacked the skills to lead. It was sad, really, to see what the famiglia was reduced to, but unlike the many other members who defected, I'll still stay loyal to the Vargas brothers. I'm sure my parents would have wanted that.

It's been two years already since Lovino became the new boss, and there has yet to be any improvements. With the tournament our allies—actually I don't know if they'd want to be our allies any longer—had suddenly concocted out of nowhere, we needed all the help we could get from the Vongola.

"Finally!" I cheered. I reread what I had managed to cough up and deemed it decent enough to present. With dramatic flourish I made sure to save save save. It would've sucked donkey if the electricity suddenly went out while it was printing.

"All I need now is Lovino's signature and seal."

Looking at the clock, I saw that it was 3:27A.M. Lovino wouldn't be up for another four hours. An exhausted sigh escaped my lips and I laid my head on my desk, barely closing my eyes before I conked out.

"…a"

I felt a strange sensation.

"…er"

It seemed to grow in intensity.

"…ra!"

Whining, I swiped my arm out.

"VERA!"

Something hit me on the head.

"Wha…?" I blinked my eyes groggily and sat up, wincing at the pinch in my neck and shoulders.

"Why are you sleeping? I thought I told you I wanted the letter as soon as possible, dammit!"

"Good morning to you too," I mumbled, shooting the male in front me an irritated look. Unlike me, Lovino looked ready for the morning…or early afternoon as I soon realized after taking a look at the clock. His dark brown hair was combed neatly with his trademark curl sticking up (I had once suggested to put some of my hair clay on that to keep it down but he wouldn't even let me touch it) and he wore a crisp black suit. I rolled my eyes when I saw that it was another one of his Versace suits. I don't know where he keeps finding the money to buy all these name brand stuff. Lovino caught my gaze and narrowed his hazel eyes, warning me not to start up that argument again.

"You look like shit."

"Hmph, that's no way to speak to a lady."

"All I see is a troll."

"Shut up! It's your fault I look like this!" I made a face when I felt my hair, the blonde tresses matted and tangled—a warm shower would be nice right now. "You're the boss—you should've been the one writing this."

"And you're the subordinate so you should do what I say," pouted Lovino. "Now give me the goddamn letter!"

"Ugh, calm down… here," I pulled the letter up and waved it in his face. "I stayed up til three to do this so you better thank me!"

"There's drool on it."

"Ah—well, ahem…I'll just print out another one."

"Tch," Lovino looked away with a scowl, crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. When it finished printing, he snatched it up and gave it a once over. "This will do."

Without even saying "thank you", Lovino walked out of my office and headed to his own. I stuck my tongue out and blew a raspberry. The jerk never treated me with respect. It was probably because we had been around each other a lot as children, but you would think he'd treat you nicely because of that. Ass.

Whatever, I was still tired and Lovino isn't going to make me do any work today! Stretching, I popped my stiff joints and went home. When I arrived at my apartment, I went into the bathroom to prepare a bubble bath. Sinking into the soft bubbly waters I inhaled the smell of strawberries and smiled as my tense muscles relaxed. I closed my eyes and let the comfortable feeling wash over me.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

I jolted awake. "Great, I dozed off…" I muttered under my breath. The bubbles were long gone and my toes and fingertips were so pruny.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"Coming!" I called out as I hastily slipped on my shirt and hopped around trying to put my pants on at the same time. I tripped and stumbled but managed to right myself up at the door.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Not even bothering to check who it is—really there was only one person I knew who would knock like that—I opened the door. Feliciano had his hand raised for another knock, but when he saw me, he had a goofy smile on his face. "'Ello Vera~" As Lovino's younger twin brother, Feliciano shared many similarities with him, like his love of designer clothing. The only difference was that his hair was a much lighter shade of brown with a curl sticking from the side of his head and his eyes were a golden brown and not always twitching from irritation. However they always seemed closed so I had no idea how he could walk around without bumping into things (even more than usual).

To sum it up, Feliciano was like the angelic version of Lovino.

"Hey Feliciano, what are you doing here?"

"Ve… My fratello told me to come get you."

"Eeeh? Why? Didn't I do enough already?"

Feliciano shrugged, "Ve~ He threw me out and said I couldn't come back until I brought you."

I rolled my eyes. That was so like Lovino to toss his only brother into the street to do some menial task that some grunt could do. "Alright, alright. Let me fix myself up and we'll go."

Feliciano bobbed up and down on the balls of his feet as he waited and did a cheer when I announced that I was ready before leading me to where he parked the car.

"Ah—wait. You think I could drive?"

"Ve~ Why?"

"No reason, just uh… wanted to make sure I wasn't getting rusty. You know—haven't been driving around much lately," I stammered out lamely.

The male tilted his head, brows furrowed in confusion. "But you always drive to work…"

"Just let me drive, okay? You can stick your head out the window and look for cute girls."

"Ve~ Okay!" He threw me the keys to his red Lamborghini and hopped in. I sighed in relief. Feliciano was notorious for being a shitty driver. The rules of the road just didn't apply to him.

"Hurry! Or fratello is going to get angry."

Lovino was sitting at his desk when I got there, head resting on his clasped hands and bangs blocking his eyes.

"We have a problem," he muttered.

"What's wrong?" I asked in alarm.

"I—I don't know the Vongola boss's address." He hung his head and I could just see the dark clouds hovering around it.

I sweatdropped. _Idiot._ "So you made Feliciano come get me so you could tell me this?"

"And for you to go find out."

"What!" I cried in outrage, "I wrote you that letter, can't you do something as simple as mailing it?" I put my hands on my hips and jutted my chin out stubbornly. "I'm taking a day off."

Standing up quickly and slamming his hands on the oak desk, Lovino shouted, "You can't do that, chigi!"

"You can't keep pushing everything onto me," I said sternly, like a mother telling her child he can't have that new uber cool toy. Lovino's reaction was just like that. After I couldn't bare hearing anymore of his bitching I finally gave in. "Fine. I'll find it—but only if you help me too. I'm tired of doing all the work while you just lie around and nap. Y'know, maybe I should be the boss if this keeps up."

Lovino did a spit take, "WHAT!"

"Relax I was joking. I was serious about you helping out though."

"Pfft. The boss doesn't do crap like this."

"You don't do crap at all."

"Shut up and go do it already, chigi!"

I huffed, uncrossing my arms and stomping my foot, "C'mon Lovi, you're the boss of the Vargas famiglia, why don't you act like one already? If Grandpa Rome could see you right now he'd be disappointed."

That seemed to hit a nerve.

He narrowed his eyes in a livid glare and said in a low voice, "Get out. I don't need your help."

Startled, I complied and left. _Touchy much?_ I thought to myself as I walked down the hall aimlessly. It felt a bit odd to just leave, but if Lovino suddenly wanted do everything by himself, then fine. It was about time he did something on his own… although mentioning his dead grandfather was a bit tactless. Oh well, I can apologize later. Frowning, I headed to the entrance of the Vargas headquarters, but a delicious aroma wafted down the left hall.

_Mrowhgghahhhh_

Wow I had never heard my stomach make that noise before. It suddenly hit me that I hadn't had a decent meal since yesterday night. Turning on my heel, I made a beeline to the kitchen and saw Feliciano prancing around with a pink apron and his classic goofy smile, whistling a random tune as he stirred a pot of sauce.

"Vera! Would you like some pasta? It's really good~" he hummed.

"Sure. "

"Ve… So what did fratello want?"

"Same old same old. Wanted me to do all the work for him…except he's doing the work this time."

"Ve~ Why?" Feliciano frowned while spooning out the delicious sauce on perfectly cooked pasta.

"Kinda probably offended him when I mentioned Grandpa Rome being disappointed in him."

Feliciano's frown deepened, the serious look really didn't seem to fit with the Italian's usual cheery demeanor. "How could you say that? Ve… fratello is really sensitive when it comes to stuff like that."

"I can't believe I'm being scolded by you."

"But it's true! Ve! Fratello used to get really jealous when Grandpa Rome spent time with me so he would try to get his attention. But papa thought he was acting up so he sent fratello to some friends in Spain."

"Was that why I didn't see him at all one summer?"

"Yeah yeah!" He stuffed his mouth with more pasta and continued, "I got to spend the whole summer alone with Grandpa, so fratello was reaaallly mad when he got back. Fratello used to say all the time that I was the favorite." A sad look flashed across his features. "I think fratello hates me because of it."

"Aw no one can ever hate you," I say trying to comfort him; a depressed Feliciano was really unsettling. "It's like kicking a puppy!"

The smile returned on his face and he giggled.

A long silence fell over us as we continued to eat without making much noise—well I did, Feliciano on the other hand would make some weird noises of delight that were starting to make me feel uncomfortable. However, I didn't pay much attention to his weird habit of making strange noises because my thoughts were wondering back to Lovino. I guess I didn't know him as well as I thought. Feeling guilty that I said something so insensitive, I bid Feliciano good bye after finishing my plate to go and apologize to Lovino.

Knocking lightly, I peered in after there was a gruff "come in." Lovino had his back turned away from the door, the letter sitting on his desk looking forlorn.

"Any luck?" I asked gingerly, afraid that he might lash out at me. His temper was always so short.

"Tch, I called the Vongola HQ but the bastards hung up on me. Wouldn't even let me fuckin' talk to Vongola Nono," sulked the Vargas boss. "Goddamn big shots."

"Did you tell them you were the boss of the Vargas famiglia?"

"They didn't even let me get a word out before they hung up!" He turned around to face me, eyes twitching.

"You sure you got the right number? The Vongola should be a prestigious famiglia, I don't think they'd be that rude…"

He crossed his arms and leaned back on the chair, staring at the ceiling and muttering, "They don't associate with trash."

"Don't start moping—you're really unbearable when you do."

"Shut up." Lovino scowled, "I don't know what I was fucking thinking—asking those assholes for help. Let's face it, we're at the bottom of the food chain and sooner or later the other famiglias are going to get rid of us."

We both didn't say anything, but then I realized something. "Hey Lovi, why are you sending a letter to the Vongola Decimo? He hasn't been officially appointed as the new boss yet so he can't make the decision to help us."

Lovino continued to stare at the ceiling. He didn't respond right away so I thought he was just ignoring me again, but he suddenly spoke up, drawing the words out slowly, "I was actually informed of the tournament months ago."

I raised my eyebrows, he told me he found out about the tournament three days ago. I opened my mouth to question him, but he continued speaking. "The Vongola's weren't my first choice. I figured they wouldn't want to help us due to the difference in power so I asked the other famiglias—they all declined. There weren't any other options left so I finally went to the Vongola… I wrote a letter to the Vongola Nono and he never responded. I thought if I got you to write a letter to the Vongola Decimo we'd have a better chance—people have been gossiping that he's pretty soft. He's our last chance." Lovino ran his hand through his hair in frustration and growled. "But I can't even do something as simple as figure out his fucking address."

Awkwardly I gave him a pat on the shoulder, which he shrugged away. I've never seen Lovino look this down before.

"Uh… cheer up Lovino! I said I'd help you—I'm sure we can figure this out together."

"Whatever."

"Move over." I pushed his chair away from the computer, having to use both arms when I realized he was heavier than he looked. "You know his name?"

"Something Japanese… I think it's Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"Alright, let's use Google. If we can't find out from the Vongola, then we're just going to have to find out by ourselves."

"Are you fucking serious? Google?" Lovino shot me an incredulous look. "There's got to be about a million fucking results!"

"C'mon it's our only option! Now let's see…" I typed his name out, sounding out the letters. "Let's translate his name into the Japanese characters and maybe we can find his address listed somewhere…"

"They do that?"

"I dunno, just guessing."

We waited for the screen to load and when it did, Lovino swore.

"How the fuck are we supposed to understand anything when it's all in fucking Japanese?"

"Uhh… Google translate?"

"This better work."

Laughing nervously, I pressed the translate button.

"..."

"…"

"This is all gibberish."

"I'm sorry."

* * *

For the next few hours Lovino and I searched the web aimlessly, trying to decipher what the hell the translator was trying to say. Lovino also tried calling the Vongola base again, but it ended in the same results: Them hanging up on him and Lovi throwing a tantrum while saying things that would make even the hardiest sailor blush. I was about to call it a day when Lovino suddenly sat up straight and pointed at the screen.

"Hey what's that?"

I looked to where his finger was pointing and saw that it was a review from a travel site. Fortunately it was in English and made sense grammatically. Leaning in, we both read it.

"_My stay in Namimori was great. I thought it was going to be boring since it's like a small town, but the people were soooooooo nice! I saw some cute ponies too The only problem was that while I was shopping, like some guy was running around in his underwear. Wtf. I could have sworn his head was on fire too. I asked one of the locals and they said it was some kid name Tuna-something-sawada or whatever. I don't know what his issue was, but that didn't stop me from shopping. They have some reaaallly cute things at their mall! 3 Overall, I would totally come back, but only if the kid wasn't there. Like no. Cultural or not, running in your underwear and screaming is totally NOT cool." _

"What the hell?" I mumbled.

"They mentioned Sawada…" His eyes lit up. "I think we found it!"

"Uh hate to break it to ya, but they only said Namimori. We still don't have his exact address."

"Forget about the letter, I'm tired of sending them in and having them tossed out. I'm going there and getting a straight answer in person."

"What! It took me forever to write that and now you don't even want to use it? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" My expression clearly displayed my feelings. "Besides, you can't just go up to the next Vongola boss. I'm sure he'd have a bunch of tough guards surrounding him."

"What, you think I'm too much of a wimp to take them on?"

"I never said that." _Although you are a bit of a coward._

"Tch, that's what you're implying, dammit! If you don't want to go you can stay here. I don't need you."

"C'mon be reasonable."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Ugh." What the hell's with him? Why's he taking the initiative all of a sudden? From what I've seen over the years, he's always been lazy, cowardly, and a bit useless…Why the change? Wait. "Um Lovi?"

He didn't look at me as he rummaged through his desk drawer, "What?"

"You're not acting like this because of what I said before, are you? Cause I didn't mean it, I'm really sorry."

Lovino paused and stared unseeingly at the wall. "What you said before was true. Grandpa really would be disappointed in what I've done to the famiglia." He slammed the drawer shut, pocketing his wallet and passport. He opened the door and stopped, looking back at me, "You coming or what?"

"N-now?" I stammer out, wide eyed. "You're not even going to pack?"

Lovino rolled his eyes impatiently, "Yes now. The tournament isn't that far off and we need to get an answer as soon as possible."

Without waiting for my answer, he walked down the hall swiftly. I scampered after him, not wanting him to go alone and get into trouble. Even if he was the boss of a weak mafia famiglia, he was still the boss of a mafia famiglia—and there are always people out there waiting to take someone out. As we walked down the red carpeted floor to the entrance, I caught a glimpse of the large portrait of Grandpa Rome, the thick curtains concealing his face a bit, but his piercing gaze could still be seen. I shivered; Grandpa Rome could look scary sometimes despite his jovial character.

"Fratello, ve, where are you going?" a cheerful voice called out. In a few seconds, Feliciano bounded over to us.

"We're going to the airport and flying to Japan. Stay here and watch the base," ordered Lovino.

"Ve… but I don't like being here alone…" deflated Feliciano.

"It's alright, Feli. We're not going to be gone long," I said.

"But… but… I'm going to be alone with all the scary people!" the brunette cried pitifully.

"Dammit Feliciano! They're with the famiglia, there's nothing to worry about!"

"That's what papa thought too," he wailed in response, clinging to his brother.

"Chigi! Let go!"

"Take me with you!" The waterworks just erupted. Lovino's face turned red as he struggled to get out of Feliciano's tight grip. He nearly tripped on his way to his car due to the crying Feliciano that was holding on to his leg.

"Pleeeeeaaaasssseeeeee? Ve~ I don't want to be left alone!"

"Maybe you should let him tag along," I said.

"No! He's only going be a pain in the ass," Lovino spat back.

"No I won't! I promise!"

"Just let him go," I sighed, Feliciano's incessant crying was starting to give me a headache.

It looked like it was starting to get to Lovino too. His eyes were twitching again and there was a noticeable vein pulsing on his forehead. "Goddammit fine! Go get your fuckin' passport Feliciano."

"Ve~ Yay!" The tears magically vanished and Feliciano scramble up from the ground and into the building. It only took him a minute to get back and dive into the car.

"Oh Lovino!" I say quickly as he made his way to the driver side. "Let me drive, the boss shouldn't have to." Lovino was equally as bad a driver as Feliciano.

Looking at me suspiciously, Lovino tossed me the keys. He settled into the passenger seat and leaned back, preparing for a nap. Feliciano was curled up in the back seat and was already asleep. I shook my head; those two were always able to sleep in about any place—at least this time Feliciano had his pants on.

* * *

"Ahh Some pasta would be really nice~" Feliciano cooed as the three of us walked down a random aisle in the grocery store. Yesterday we had landed and we were all exhausted, it took about fifteen hours for us to get to Namimori. When we got off the plane, we staggered outside and got ourselves a taxi to a reasonably priced hotel. We crashed and didn't get up until the sun was already high and beating down wonderfully warm rays. After we got ready, we all left to wander the streets. It was then that an obvious fact that we forgot about finally hit us. We didn't speak Japanese. Well shit. Lovino shrieked when he realized the huge problem at hand and spent a couple minutes cursing and hitting his head against a pole. Feliciano didn't do anything extreme, but he joined his brother in his panicking. I could do nothing except shake my head and wait for them to get their act together. Once they calmed down we headed back to the airport—not to fly back to Italy (jeez, we endured a tiring ride in a stuffy so we're going to return with something!) but to drop by the information center to get some Japanese translation books. We then took the cab to a grocery store and have been asking people if they knew a Sawada Tsunayoshi ever since.

"This is getting hopeless," I sighed, "Nobody knows him." We were now standing in front of the grocery store and have gotten the fiftieth "no" in the past two hours.

"Keep trying dammit. I'm not going home yet!" Lovino spat.

"Oh! Let's ask this pretty lady." Feliciano said as a woman carrying bags walked out. He was standing in front of her before we could pull him back. Even though he says he'll ask the pretty girls if they knew the boss, he always ends up asking for their number. At least Lovino, who liked to flirt with cuties too, had some self control.

The woman who Feliciano was speaking to had short brown hair and gentle brown eyes. Even though Feliciano was tripping over his words, she patiently tried to understand him. Lovino and I walked up to the two and were about to pull Feliciano away so he wouldn't bother her any more but stopped after she asked us a question.

"Anata wa kankōkyakudesu ka?" (Are you tourists?)

I grabbed the book from Feliciano's hands and responded, "Īe, watashitachi wa jissai ni dareka o sagashi shiyō to shite imasu." (No, we're actually trying to find someone.)

The woman tilted her head curiously and asked who.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

At that the woman broke out into a huge smile. "Ah! Watashi wa Sawada Nana desu. Anata wa, Tsuna no tomodachidesu ka?" (I'm Sawada Nana, are you Tsuna's friends?)

Lovino, who was looking over my shoulder at the book while I flipped through it, snatched it out of my hands excitedly. "Hai! Anata wa, Tsuna ni watashitachi o toru koto ga dekimasu ka?" (Yes! Can you take us to Tsuna?)

Nana smiled warmly, "Mochiron, watashi ni shitagatte kudasai." (Of course, just follow me.)

"Ve~ Watashi wa Feliciano." (I'm Feliciano.) Feliciano cheered and took some of her bags to which she thanked him gratefully.

Lovino and I introduced ourselves as well. He then turned to me, grinning triumphantly "And you doubted me."

"Hmph," I shrugged, "What luck. Who woulda thought we'd run into his wife."

"Ne ne, fratello, do you think she'd make us some food?" The younger Italian prodded his brother. Lovino swatted his hand away absentmindedly, "I hope so… I want pizza."

I ignored the two and sped up so I was walking beside Nana, trying to start up a friendly conversation about nothing in particular. It was going well enough despite my troubles with the language. The kind woman never seemed exasperated with me and would laugh good-naturedly. _She's really nice for a mob wife, _I thought. The expectant look she gave me made me realize she had asked a question. At my confused look she giggled and asked again, in a slower but not disdainful voice.

"Anata wa sorera no izureka o dēto shite imasu ka?" (Are you dating one of them?)

"EEHHH?" I was shocked. I had never thought of them that way before! "No!"

Nana covered her mouth and giggled harder, reminding me of a school girl. "Sore wa sōdesu… Shikashi, karera wa mite totemo yoidesu!" (Is that so... But they're so good looking!)

If I was drinking something at the time, I would have spit it out, spraying the liquid all over her. But since I wasn't, I just laughed nervously. "Sō omoimasu ka?" (You think so?)

"Hai, hai! Ferishiāno-kun ga kawaii miryoku o motte ori, Lovino-kun wa, ganjōna katamari no yō ni miemasu!" (Yes, yes! Feliciano has a cute charm and Lovino looks like a rugged hunk!)

_Oh sweet Jesus I think the Vongola Decimo's wife has a few screws loose!_ I looked like a fish out of water as I opened and closed my mouth wordlessly, slowly losing air.

Nana continued on, not noticing that my brain had stopped functioning. "Ah~ Hoka no dareka ga okonau mae ni, watashi wa sugu ni hitotsu no hōrudo o shutoku shitai." (I'd get a hold of one quickly before someone else does.)

"Watashi wa sō to shi..." (I suppose so…)

The woman nodded, and winked. I could feel my face heating up. We didn't say anything else while we walked down the narrow street. There weren't many other people out and about so it was really peaceful, birds could be heard twittering and occasionally there would be a soft bark or meow from the yards of the homes that lined the street. We had been walking for a while now and I was beginning to wander when we'd finally get to the Decimo's home. My heart thudded and my palms sweated at the thought of meeting him face to face. Even though there have been gossip about the new Vongola boss being soft hearted, it still didn't diminish the fact that he had defeated Xanxus. XANXUS. The freaking leader of Varia! The news spread fast about his defeat to the hands of the new boss, although some details have been added and lost in the grape vine so you can't be too sure about what happened. However the fact still remains that Sawada Tsunayoshi had beat Xanxus.

"Ve~ What were you guys talking about?" asked Feliciano, poking me in the back to get my attention.

"Nothing!" I hiss, the pink returning to my cheeks a little.

Tilting his head, he pouted, "Ve… really?"

"Yes—now drop it!"

"Wareware wa kokoda!" (We're here!) Nana announced, stopping in front of a small house. Lovino took the bags she was holding into his already full arms, earning delighted thanks from the upbeat woman while she opened the gate and front door. The four of us walked in, taking our shoes off at Nana's gentle reminder, and followed her into the kitchen and helped her take out the groceries. She told us that Tsuna wasn't home yet and allowed us to wait. Seeing as she was preparing dinner, Feliciano jumped up and offered to help her, leaving me and Lovino alone to wait. I shifted in my seat awkwardly, Nana's previous statement still bouncing around in my head killing brain cells.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Lovino asked bluntly after I adjusted my collar for the third time.

"Just nervous," I coughed out. Which was the truth—I just didn't mention that it was him that was making me feel uncomfortable. He nodded in understanding, and upon closer inspection I noticed that he was clenching his fists. He was nervous about meeting the Vongola Decimo. Not knowing what to say, a silence enveloped us as the clock ticked away. In the kitchen we could hear Feliciano and Nana humming some nonsensical tune together.

I don't know how long we had been sitting there, but I was getting bored. By the looks of it, Lovino was too. He had laid his head on the table, fingers drumming on its surface. He had stopped for a few minutes and I started to worry that he had fallen asleep. Using my leg, I nudged him, softly at first and then ending in a strong kick when he didn't respond.

"What the hell, Vera!"

"You can't take a nap here—it's rude!"

"Don't tell me what to do, woman—"

"Tadaima!" An unknown voice interrupted Lovino. We both sat up straighter at the sound of shuffling feet and the slam of a door. Could it be…?

Nana squealed and rushed out to greet whoever had entered.

Lovino and I stared at the doorway intensely as the sound of feet moved closer and chatting voices became louder. I could feel a bead of sweat run down my neck and my pulse begin to race. He's coming closer! The door shook a little and began to slowly slide open. Lovino took a sharp intake of breath, both of us anticipating his appearance.

A group of teenagers stood before us. Nana said something to the short one with wild brown hair who stared wide-eyed in surprise. She said something else to us and rushed back into the kitchen. The tall black haired teenager standing a bit behind the brunette smiled and waved while the silver haired kid scrutinized us.

Lovino let out a sigh of irritation, "Aw dammit it's just his kids."

"Whoa—I didn't know he had kids. Isn't he supposed to be the same age as you?" I question aloud.

The brunette in the middle stammered something out. Unfortunately Feliciano had taken the translation book so we had no idea what the kid was saying.

Lovi ignored him and crossed his arms complaining, "Why the hell isn't there anyone else here who understands Italian or English?"

"Ciaossu."

"Ah." I look down, noticing the baby in tux for the first time. My eyes then zoomed into the yellow pacifier. Lovi probably did the same because we both cried out "Reborn!" at the same time.

The brunette said something to him but was promptly silenced by Reborn. I could feel the sweat sliding down my neck again and Lovino seemed a lot tenser. We had no idea Reborn would be here too.

"C-ciao," Lovino grunted, standing up. I followed suit and stood beside him.

We both jumped (Lovino shrieked too) when Reborn pulled out a green gun. "State your business."

The brunette freaked out too, speaking rapidly in Japanese while making wild hand gestures. The other two didn't seem too bothered, although the silver haired one rushed to the brunette's side screaming when Reborn smacked him away. The gun never left us. My finger twitched, edging for the gun I had hidden (don't ask how I got it through security at the airport) but Reborn pointed the nozzle at me so quick I froze.

"Don't even think about it," he said in a threatening tone and cocked his gun.

"AHH DON'T FUCKING SHOOT!" Lovino panicked. I raised both my hands in surrender.

The boy who had been knocked to the side slowly began to regain consciousness and screamed something probably along the same lines as Lovino. Reborn responded in his squeaky baby voice and the kid stayed silent. Reborn advanced towards us. I glanced at Lovi and saw that he was sweating buckets too.

"Who are you?"

"L-Lovino Vargas, boss of the Vargas famiglia."

"Vera Dellucci."

"Why are you here?"

Lovino gulped, "I need to speak with the Vongola Decimo—we're just waiting for him to come home."

"Why do you need to see the Juudaime?" the silver haired teen cut in suspiciously.

Surprise flitted across my face for a moment—I didn't know he could speak Italian. "We have a favor we want to ask of him."

"Then speak," Reborn ordered while pulling the brunette in front of us. "Here's the Vongola Decimo, Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"W-WHAT! That kid can't be the Vongola Decimo!" cried out Lovino, his cowardliness disappearing once Reborn put the gun away. "He looks pathetic!"

"Oi! You're one to talk—just a minute ago you were groveling at our feet!" The silver haired kid spat back fiercely.

"S-shut up, chigi! I thought I was going to die!"

"Ahh enough yelling," I pleaded, covering my ears.

"I agree. Now spill it or I'll spill your brains," added Reborn, pulling out his gun once again.

Lovino recoiled, "GEHH—"

"Fratello~ Vera~ Dinner is ready, ve. I made some pasta too!" Feliciano popped his head into the room and saw everyone. Not noticing the tense atmosphere, a bright smile tugged on his lips. "OOOH, KONNICHIWA, VE~"

"Ciaossu."

"Ehh, a baby? Oh! You must be Reborn. Ve… my Grandpa told me all about you!" Feliciano dove to the ground so he was eye level with him. "I'm Feliciano~ It's nice to meet you!"

"Likewise."

"Ne, ne, fratello… who are these people?"

Shuffling on his feet awkwardly, Lovino said, "I don't know."

Reborn grabbed Tsuna by the tie and said something probably scathing considering how the kid exclaimed "EEEHH!" He then stood up shakily and said in a heavily accented voice, "My name is Sawada Tsuna." Reborn then promptly knocked him aside, allowing the next person to introduce themselves.

The black haired boy smile and gave a short wave, "Yo! Yamomoto Takeshi."

"Hayato Gokudera," the silver teen said, "Otherwise known as Smokin' Bomb Hayato, the tenth's right hand man."

At that moment the front door opened and obnoxious laughter could be heard. Two tiny children ran into the room, one in a cow suit and the other wearing oriental clothing. Entering behind them was a tall woman with pink hair and a younger boy wearing a scarf despite the warm temperatures.

"Gahh—Bianchi!" Gokudera gasped, clutching his stomach and sinking to the floor.

"Bianchi? As in Poison Scorpion Bianchi?" I ask in amazement. She was popular among the female mafia members.

"Yes. Are you Reborn's guests?" The woman asked, although her tone was friendly, her eyes said something else.

Nana then appeared into the room and ushered everyone to the dinner table. She had brought in extra chairs, giving everyone a seat. By then Gokudera seemed to have recovered. The smells were heavenly and I tried the dishes Nana had prepared at her gentle prodding. Lovino tried some too but settled on Feliciano's pasta. Throughout dinner the children, who we learned were named Lambo (cow suit), I-Pin (oriental), and the famous Futa de la Stella (scarf boy), were talking amiably with Nana, Feliciano, and Yamamoto. They didn't seem to notice the rest of us eating quietly and tensely. After what felt like ages of intense awkwardness, dinner was finally over and Nana began to clear the dishes with the help of Bianchi and Feliciano. The children went out into the yard to enjoy the night air, leaving the rest of us crammed into Tsuna's room.

Reborn had me and Lovi seated before Tsuna on the ground while the Vongola boss was given his desk chair. The tiny hitman raised his hand and I flinched, thinking that it was his gun, however, there was only a small green lizard perched on his finger. The lizard began to glow, an array of colors shimmering on its body before it suddenly morphed into a green headset. Reborn handed Tsuna the headset. He hesitated for a moment before placing it on his head.

"Speak," Reborn commanded us. "Leon transformed into something that will allow Tsuna to understand what you are saying and likewise speak in Italian."

Lovi coughed into his hand and obeyed. "The Vargas famiglia needs the Vongola's help." He started out a bit meekly, but he slowly began to regain his composure, speaking in his normal rough speech that he reserves only for males for some reason. "Our international allies have suddenly decided to host a damn tournament—supposedly to strengthen our bonds. Hell, it's starting in two weeks and we need the Vongola to send some of its members to help us. With our current state, we won't stand a chance and our allies will see that the Vargas family has gotten weaker."

"Our family used to be as strong as yours, but things have been difficult. We'd really appreciate any help you can give," I added.

"So what's your answer?" Lovi demanded.

"A-ah… isn't there anyone else you can ask?" Tsuna stammered. "I really don't want to have anything to do with the mafia."

"But you're our last hope!" I exclaimed. "The others famiglias don't want anything to do with us."

Lovino slammed his hand on the small table, "How the fuck are you going to say you don't want anything to do with the mafia when you're the goddamn Vongola boss?"

"Don't speak to the tenth like that!" Gokudera hissed, fist clenched threateningly. "You guys should know your place, the Vargas famiglia is small fry compared to us."

"Gokudera, it's okay!" Tsuna tried to placate him; he then turned back to Lovi. "I never wanted to be the boss, the only reason why I'm continuing with it is because I want to protect my friends."

"Well we want to protect our friends too," I urged. "That's why we need your help. If our allies find out how weak we've gotten, they'll cut all ties with us—then we're doomed! The other famiglias will tear us apart!"

Conflicting emotions flashed across Tsuna's soft features and he turned towards Reborn and asked him, "What should I do?"

"You're the boss, Dame-Tsuna." Dark black eyes stared at him, emotions unreadable.

Tsuna looked at a loss. Lovi and I both watched him intently; well in Lovi's case he was glaring. Yamamoto rocked side to side, and said something in Japanese to which Gokudera answered back angrily. The silver hot head then spoke up.

"You don't have to help these people, Tsuna."

"Whaa?" Tsuna asked, confused. Lovino and I both looked at Gokudera in puzzlement too.

"They're not worth the Vongola's time. Back when their boss Rome was still alive, they were one of the Vongola's biggest rivals. But now we can have them out of our hairs for good."

A look of anger was mirrored in both me and Lovino's faces. Tsuna seemed just as shocked.

"B-but Gokudera-kun, that seems so cruel!"

"It's the truth, juudaime," insisted Gokudera. "The Vargas famiglia have also dealt in a lot of black market deals and were involved in many unethical affairs. They're not the kind of famiglia you should associate yourself with."

"That's not true!" I said vehemently "The Vargas famiglia has always conducted themselves with honor."

"That's not what I heard," Gokudera shot back, "How do you explain the BC affair?"

"The what?" I raised my eyebrows and turned to Lovino for answers. He ignored me and Gokudera and instead focused on Tsuna.

"Help our famiglia, Vongola Decimo. I admit we've participated in some shady business, but that was in the past. The Vongola doesn't have a clean record either."

The boy seemed conflicted. "What is the tournament any way?"

"It's a fight between selected members from each group. All the allied crime organizations around the world will be randomly paired up for matches and the winner will move on to the next," I explain. "We weren't told what the prize for winning the entire thing is though…"

"Pfft," Lovino snorted. "Even though they say it's to 'strengthen loosening bonds', I bet it's just so they can scout out who's the weak link. That's why we need the Vongola—are you going to fucking help us or not?" Lovino's patience was running thin. They had been sitting in this tiny room for about an hour now and nothing has been progressing the way he wanted them to.

"What's your answer, Vongola Decimo?" I pressed.

"I-I…" Tsuna's eyes wandered around the room. Yamamoto shrugged when they landed on him, Reborn didn't reveal anything, and Gokudera shook his head, glaring at us in disapproval.

"I… don't think I—"

"Fratello~" Feliciano burst into the room, engulfing his brother in a hug. "What are you guys doing?" However, the force in which he lunged at him caused Lovi to smash his head against the low table, successfully knocking him out. "Ve… fratello?" Feliciano shook the limp Lovi but there was no response. There was a quiet moment, before hell broke loose. "AHHH I KILLED HIM!" Overcome with tears Feliciano shook Lovino even harder, crying for him to wake up. I facepalmed. "VEEEE! I DON'T WANT TO BE THE NEXT BOSS!"

Reborn, having enough of his nonsense shot a warning fire. Feliciano sat up and cried even harder, pulling out a white flag from nowhere and waving it like there's no tomorrow.

"C-calm down!" Tsuna exclaimed with his hands up.

"PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME!"

"Don't worry, juudaime, I'll shut him up," Gokudera declared as he pulled out bombs. I did a double take when I saw that.  
"Whoa! Don't hurt him!"

"VEEEE I SURRENDER!" His white flag was moving back and forth fiercely.

"Everybody calm down!" Tsuna exclaimed again.

"You guys are starting to irritate me…" Reborn said, black eyes glittering dangerously.

"Feliciano be quiet!" I said to him desperately.

The gun pointed at us only made him panic even more. I was starting to get hysterical too after I heard Reborn cock his gun and take aim.

"Reborn, don't shoot!" Tsuna shouted out. For once it seemed like Reborn was finally listening to him, because he paused. Tsuna let out a breath of relief and turned to the crying Italian. "Uh, Feliciano, please stop crying—we won't hurt you."

Feliciano sniffed and nodded, the waterfall of tears finally stilled. I smiled at Tsuna gratefully and went to work on prodding Lovino awake. The Vargas boss stirred and groaned. He blinked groggily and then cursed, grabbing Feliciano violently by his collar. "What the hell do you think you're doing, dipshit! I'm trying to strike a deal here, dammit!"

"Ve! I'm sorry fratello!" the younger Italian cried. "I didn't mean to interrupt!"

A sheepish smile made its way onto my face, "Ignore them—let's just continue."

Tsuna nodded hesitantly, "Okay… as I was saying… I don't think I can help you."

"WHAT? WHY THE HELL NOT?" Lovino shouted, diverting his attention away from choking Feliciano.

The Vongola Decimo winced at Lovino's harsh tone. "I just don't think I can do this for you… I don't want to put my friends in danger."

"You don't have to worry about that though! It's a friendly competition." _That may or may not end up in our famiglia's death._ I added in my head.

Tsuna shook his head firmly. "I don't want to drag my friends into another mafia affair."

"Hah! You've got the juudaime's answer, now get out of here!" Gokudera jeered triumphantly. Reborn's face, as always, was unreadable. I had no idea if he agreed with Tsuna's decision.

Lovino growled and barked, "So you'll just let our famiglia die?"

The young boss recoiled as if he had just been struck. "N-no—"

"Please reconsider bossman, ve~" cut in Feliciano. "We'll do anything you want—just help my fratello out pleeaaassseeeeee?" He crawled forward on his hands and knees and said in a quivering voice. "He's not very strong, and ever since he came back from Spain he's been a bit of a dick, ve… but the famiglia really means a lot to him! He's not as cool as Grandpa Rome, and he really sucks at everything, but fratello is trying! Ve, can't you just help us a tinsy insy bit?" He then gave Tsuna his notorious puppy-eyes. He resembled a poor puppy that's been left in the rain, such a forlorn look that Tsuna seemed to be wavering in his resolve.

It didn't seem to work on Gokudera though, because he stomped his foot and said, "Be strong, juudaime!"

_Tap tap tap_

The soft noise made everyone look to the window. A large brown bird with an ornate necklace was tapping on the glass, a letter attached to its leg.

"It's the Vongola messenger bird." Reborn stood up and hopped to the window, opening it and taking the letter from its outstretched leg, talons gleaming. The bird fluffed up its feathers and then flapped its powerful wings, taking off into the night air.

Yamamoto said something, probably along the lines of "what is it?" He was ignored however, and Reborn opened the letter swiftly. Orange flames leaped up at the top of the paper.

"It's an official letter from the Vongola Nono," Reborn said after skimming through it. He turned to Tsuna. "He's ordering you to help the Vargas famiglia."

"Ehh?"

Lovino leapt up and pointed his finger at Tsuna, "HAH! SUCK MY BALLS DICK HEAD—NOW YOU HAVE TO HELP US!"

I sighed, "Hey Lovino, the Vongola didn't ignore the letter you sent after all… So what the hell was the point of coming all the way here?"

"Shut up! I didn't know!"

"Hmph," Reborn smirked. "It's a good thing the Nono agreed."

"Huh? Why?" asked a bewildered Tsuna. "I thought you didn't want to help them out too."

"I never said that, Dame-Tsuna." Cue the slap to the face. "I just wanted to see how you'd handle it. You're too soft," he concluded. Reborn swaggered to his seat and continued. "Helping the Vargas famiglia by entering the tournament for them would've been advantageous for the Vongola. Even though the Vargas is weak, their late boss Rome was able to strike an alliance with many strong groups around the world—groups that could be a threat or asset to the Vongola."

A light bulb seemed to go off over Gokudera's head, "Oh I see now! We can get a firsthand look at possible new allies and plan for possible new enemies." The teen started to mutter something rapidly in Japanese, a dark look clouding his face. He soon stopped when Tsuna reprimanded him.

"Ve~ That's great! You'll help fratello then, right?"

"You can't ignore an order by the Nono," Reborn added.

Tsuna sighed weakly and seemed to deflate. "I guess so…"

"Yahoooo! I'll make some more pasta to celebrate then!"

Before the jubilant Italian could run off, I grabbed him and pulled him down. "We just had dinner," I reminded him. Feliciano pouted.

Reborn hopped in front of Lovino, Feliciano, and I. "Our meeting is over now so you can leave. We'll meet up again in Italy." I nodded and grabbed the twins, high tailing it out of there.


End file.
